Tools for Fly-Tying

Whether you tie flies for hobby or profession and no matter your personal degree of perfectionism, the deed becomes much more enjoyable and efficient with the proper tools. However, deciding which tools you really need can be a troublesome undertaking, akin to learning hatches and which patterns match them.

The best assistance I can offer is that information derived from my own experience. Over the years I have learned which tools I use and which tools I do not. I have also learned what characteristics I like to have in the tools that I use. This article will attempt to pass along that information in an organized and visual manner. I will not shy away from naming names and I firmly believe in supporting quality products. Ultimately, the decision on which tools to obtain, and from whom, is yours as it should be. Individual fly tying tools are inexpensive so it really does pay dividends to experiment. Your personal features like hand size and finger length will dictate characteristics that differ from mine. But aside from fit, function should remain basically the same. By that I mean certain tying tasks are indeed best suited for specific tools, with the actual tool being the personal touch.

Vises

The fly-tying vise is the cornerstone tool. It can be as simple as a set of vise grips clamped to a table or as elaborate as the most expensive vise on the market. Either way, it's sole purpose is to firmly hold your hook so that you may apply the materials. However, hooks are different. Wire diameter, gape, length, finish and forging all effect to a degree how well a hook stays in a vise. Add to the mix the particular process you are trying to perform and you can quickly see how a quality vise that has variation in it's holding capacity and hook access is important.

A vise needs to be able to hold any hook to just exceed the breaking pressure of the thread during the most aggressive process you will perform. Thusly, a tyer who stacks and spins deer hair on very large hooks needs a bulldog of a vise. A tyer who works on small flies with wispy thread needs a vise that delivers excellent access. Typical tyers fall in the middle and require both services and a myriad more. Multiple vises are not efficient, it's far better to locate a vise which can accomplish all of your demands. This means rugged jaws with quick and reliable adjustments to conform to many hooks.

Another vise option is its ability to rotate. You can get fixed models where the jaws do not have the ability to rotate, and the hook remains in a fixed position. You can get rotary models where the jaws will rotate but the plane of rotation cannot be adjusted so the hook shank will wobble. These are fine for most tyers as there is very little real-world need to adjust the plane of rotation. You can also get true (or in-line) rotary vises where the plane of rotation can be adjusted so that the hook shank rotates without wobble. What occurs with true rotary vises is that the axis of rotation is set by the bearing housing. Depending on hook size, the jaws must be adjusted so that the hook shank is in-line with the housing's axis of rotation. If that can be achieved then you can rotate the jaws around the axis of rotation and the hook will spin without wobbling.

My vise is a customized version of the J-Vise built by Jay Smit of South Africa to my specs. It is true rotary when I desire by simply moving the jaws up or down the gooseneck (shown) or bent arm shaft. This will align the hook shaft with the housing axis. Rarely do I go to that extent, but it is a nice feature to have.

Another variable with vises is the finish. Fly tying requires light and lots of it. If you plan on any extended time in front of your vise with lots of light then you'll need to consider the finish of the vise. I'm not a fan of, and fail to see the reasoning behind, a highly polished fly tying vise. But to each his own. I requested my vise have all glaring features dulled, so Jay had all of the SS parts bead blasted. The result is a product constructed from SS but with the appearance of graphite. I could not be happier.

Beyond form and finish, your vise needs to fit. The standrod should have height and be adjustable to suit your needs. The distance between the jaws and the standrod should well-match your hand size. The bearing housing needs to be large enough to support the weight of your non-bobbin hand. All materials need to be non corrosive and easily maintained. No plastic!

Lastly, the company you buy from should stand behind their product!

Affixing Your Vise

Once you decide on your vise, you'll need to elect how to secure it to your working surface. You have two options: clamps or pedestals. Both have their pros and cons.

C-Clamps are the most sturdy option available. One issue I have with most clamps is that they fail to adjust to a myriad of surfaces. The traveling tyer will encounter thick tables, thin tables and tables with various lips and edges. If you cannot clamp to a surface then you vise is worthless. My J-Vise Superclamp, shown to the right, has a working opening of better than 3.5" and is over 2" deep. The set screw has a torque bar. I have yet to find a surface that I cannot clamp to!

The other option is to purchase a pedestal base. Until last year I refused to use a pedestal of any make since I could never rely on them to secure my vise. I simply cannot tolerate wobble in my vise. While tying at a show in Idaho last April, Dean Childs of Wasatch Tools introduced me to his lumber pedestal base. It was certainly attractive but I calmly voiced my concern about tipping and wobble. Dean called me around to his side of the booth and my jaw dropped in amazement! The pedestal was equipped with a clamp! To the left is a photo of a pedestal base that Dean built for me for doing my show and seminar work. What you cannot see is the engraving of fish and flies as well as my name around the base. But you can see the clamp and the tool caddy features. You'll hear more about Dean's fine products in this article. Dean's workmanship, understanding of the fly tying craft, and generosity toward his fellow man earned Wasatch Tools the prestigious Lee Wulff Award in 2006!

Bobbin Holders

There is no one size fits all category here. You can get, and really need, variation in the barrel length and arm spread. There are different diameter spools requiring different arm spreads, and larger hook sizes require longer barrel lengths. I try to use as small of a bobbin as I can since it allows for more precision.

Bobbin Components

Arm material should be a flexible metal to allow for tension adjustment and because each new spool will be slightly different in width. I like my tension rather loose so that my thread is self feeding as I wrap. I can feather the tension with my ring finger. The contact points between the arms and the spools come in two forms: spheres and cones. These devises snuggle into the holes of the spools and allow the spool to rotate. I have and use bobbins with both. The spheres are smoother but less resistant to the spool popping off than the cones, which seat deeper into the holes.

Shown above are various spools I use for threads. The two on the left are from Wasatch and have become my favorites. As you can see with the other bobbins, the arms are soldered to the barrel and will eventually break. The Wasatch bobbins are constructed with a a more integral design accented with pleasing natural wood that just happen to fit my hand like a glove.

Barrels are simply thin metal tubes that house the thread and provide precision for the tier. You can get barrels that are flared metal, have ceramic inserts, or are completely ceramic. It is thought that metal tubes will wear over time although I have not found this to be the case. Metal tubes however, routinely arrive with burrs that will fray threads. These burrs can be effectively removed by running some kevlar thread through the bobbin for a period of time. To the left is an inexpensive bobbin with a ceramic tube that I use for floss. The ceramic tube is gentle on the floss but the bobbin itself is not well suited to my hands for fine thread work.

To the right is a cheap flared metal barreled bobbin that I use with spooled lead wire. I have a number of these for all my various diameter lead wires as it make applying the wire to the hook so much easier and really cuts down on waste.

Flared metal bobbins are sufficient for any job and typically handle even fine threads well. I just happen to fancy the feel of ceramic and ceramic lined barrels for my thread applications. Personal choice abounds!

I have dozens of bobbins. I have Wasatch bobbins that I use for my thread work- about a bobbin for each color thread I routinely use. I have some Griffin and TMC bobbins that also see a fair amount of work. These thread bobbins are all short barreled and ceramic.

Aside from my thread, floss, and lead bobbins I have numerous grunt bobbins for wire, tinsel, and chenille work. The are usually damaged tools that have been resurrected to the second team.

Scissors

Third on the list of tools come scissors. Like bobbins, no single pair will cover all the bases. A tyer will need to collect an arsenal do his job with the best results. I maintain three basic categories of scissors: fine, grunt, and shears.

My fine scissors see the work of cutting thread and trimming delicate materials. They never leave my hand! For this reason they are selected based on how they fit and perform. Again, Wasatch has become my favored supplier.I have two sizes of fine scissors that I keep and use. One is slightly larger than the other, but neither are cumbersome.

My scissors need to have finger holes that can easily accept my ring finger and thumb. As mentioned, this tool never leaves my hand. One side is attached to the ring finger of my bobbin hand between the second and third knuckle. The blades need to be contained within my hand so that I do not puncture myself! The blades need to be sharp and come to a very fine point. I need to be able to clip a single hackle barb. They also need to be slightly serrated so that they grip what I am cutting, not push it away.

Scissors need to be non-corrosive.

I can count on getting 300-500 dozen flies out of a pair of fine scissors before they get retired. This is if I use caution not to cut wire, stems, hair or hook shanks with them. Kevlar thread is also a no-no. Any of these things will kill your fine scissors and delegate them to grunt work. Grunt scissors used to be fine scissors. They are marked (usually with tape) so that I can tell them apart. These are what I sue to clip the no-no's and what my kids get to use.

Lastly, I have shears. These are big bladed beasts for cutting nasties and also for tying glo-bugs where I need a fast clean cut. Also in the shears category or thinning shears that I use for various streamer applications when I want to taper the density of a material.

Bench Chair

It pays to be comfortable when tying flies. For years I pained through using a rigid chair until I finally wised-up and purchased a desk chair. Nothing fancy, just a soft chair on rollers with hydraulic height adjustment. Fabulous!

Lamps

Lighting is crucial for effective and comfortable tying. My shop has two overhead 4-foot, 2-bulb fluorescent shop lights at ceiling height. These provide the bulk lighting in addition to the normal incandescent lights in the room.

My bench, seen on the left, is equipped with two swing arm lamps fixed with fluorescent bulbs to keep the area cool. I do not buy too much into the daylight bulbs since I do not dye materials. These lamps provide the spot lighting. I have these situated so that one can swing to the other side of my 8-foot bench when I do lessons.

I have my lamps adn other electrical equipment plugged to a common power strip with am integral switch. Lamp switches are not durable, so with my set up I flip the switch on my power strip and on go all my lights, my stereo, and power to my blenders and drying wheels.

Notice the foam attachments on the lamp hoods. The fluoro bulbs are long and without the extensions the light would blind me

Hackle Pliers

Beyond scissors, the order of importance for tools becomes fuzzy. I suppose for most a good set of hackle pliers would rank highly. To be honest, with today's quality genetic hackle (both saddle and cape) I find myself using hackle pliers less and less since feathers are becoming so darned long!. But they do come in handy for dubbing loops and working with hen and soft hackles so they will always have a place. My favored set, shown to the left, are no longer in production. You want a set that feel right and grip well. You WILL go through many before you find what you like. Count on it and prepare for it. They are cheap so this is not a major undertaking.

Dubbing Tools

Fur and synthetic dubbings are such dynamic materials that you are really cheating yourself out of some impressive results of you lack dubbing tools.

By dubbing tools I am referring to various rakes, combs, and brushes designed to maximize the characteristics of dubbing.

Shown to the right is my assortment of Wasatch brushed, pickers, fur rakes and combs. I use these daily to rake fur from pelts, pick out guard hairs, roughen nymph bodies, fuzz egg patterns and remove underfur. I would be lost without them. You will see me routinely mention them in my tutorials.

Bodkins

A bodkin is a fancy name for a dubbing needle, which is a bit of a misnomer since these tools reach far beyond dubbing applications.

As you can see I own a myriad of needles and I use them all. Most are self-made. Some are blunt and long and some are short and fine.

Bodkins mix epoxy, split thread for dubbing loops, apply eyes, separate fur for zonker ribs and a whole host of other jobs. To be without an arsenal of bodkins would be like being without hands!

One of my priceless little bodkins features a very fine point that I have bent a slight hook into. This tool is used for precision dubbing picking! It is stiff enough that I can really force it into small places and exert some force with it. Can't beat it!

Most of my bodkins are nothing more than sewing needles epoxied into section of 1/4" dowel. They will eventually break and I just simply make another. It's important to have a variety of lengths and point diameters.

Very fine bodkins are needed to split thread for making those types of dubbing loops. They are also a godsend for placing stick-on eyes and for adjusting ribbing on nymphs and streamers.

My better bodkins fit my hand well. The fit I look for is such that I can grip the tool and brace the point against my middle finger (see photo). This gives me a rock-solid base for my work. The Wasatch bodkin shown also has a half-hitch tool built on the other side.

Refuse Collection

Nobody enjoys unsightly bits of feather and fur scattered about. I also find it very hard to tie well amongst clutter so it's vital to have a convenient area to wipe the clipping and scraps into. I picked this up really cheap at a show a few years back and mounted is permanently to my bench, directly under my vise jaws which is above my lap. It's big and it does the job!

My vise has a smaller traveling nylon refuse collector that mounts on the standrod.

Accessories

There are other valuable tools that you will want to collect as time goes on. These are not really necessities since the jobs they do can either be done manually, with homemade devises, or do not need to be done at all.

Burnishing Tool. This is used to smooth floss bodies, typically on atlantic salmon flies or for presentation/competition flies. It's a blunt tool with flat rounded edges.

Dubbing Loop Twister. A twister is a small tool with flexible spring arms ending in hooks.The tool is inserted into a dubbing loop to spread the loop to allow the fur to be placed inside. Then the tool is pulled-down on, collapsing the loop and trapping the fur. The the loop is spun creating a fur chenille. A long shanked hook or bent paper clip will work just fine.

Bobbin Threader. This tool is simply a thin wire cross-loop that you insert through your bobbin tube, catch the thread and pull it though. Nifty to have. I rarely use mine.

Paint Brush. I keep a number of these and I use them to brush debris from my vise. This keeps wear to a minimum.

Kitchen Blender and Coffee Grinder. These are used to blend dubbing in order to create custom colors or textures. The blender I use to make BIG batches of a known recipe or to make dubbing felts (mixing the dubbing in water and straining to form a dense felt). The grinder mixes smaller batches and fluffs existing dubbing prior to using.

Bag Balm. Keep this on your bench and use it often, especially in the winter. Nothing's worse than dry and split fingers when you tie flies! Bag balm (udder butter) is about the best at keeping your hands from falling apart.

Anti Static Spray. This stuff is worth it's weight in gold when working with hair and stackers. Spritz the hair and let it dry. Then, the hair will not stick to you or the stacker! It's also handy to wipe inside your blender and grinder before mixing dubbing recipes. Static sheets work as well.